Tooth-brush.



O. E. CARROLL.

TOOTH BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913.

I 1,091,291. Patented M21224, 1914 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES ritation, but, when allowed to remain, in

. To all whom it may concern CHARLES EDWARD CARROLL, or NEwroRrfAnKANsAs.

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I Specification of Letters Patent: Patented M31324 1914:. Applicatibn filed June 23,1913. Serial No. 775 332.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. CARRoLp', a citizen of theUnit-ed States, and a resident of Newport, in the county of Jackson and State of Arkansas, have invented an Improvement in Tooth-Brushes, of' which the following is a specification.

Much attention has been given tothe treatment and prevention of diseases of the gums. Such diseases usually attack the gums on the inner side where they are subject to comparatively little friction in the process of mastication and where the ordinary toothbrush is not effective for rubbing or massaging. Food and other foreign substances tend to lodge within the free margin of the gums at such points and cause at first a slight 1rfiammation soon results and certain chemical changes take place, -causing the formation of a hard scale known as tartar, which adheres to the roots of the teeth and remains as a permanent irritant to the gums. If the irritation be sufliciently prolonged, an ulcerative condition will result, which rapidly destroys the gum tissues to such an" extent that the teeth loosen and come out." As the formation of tartar begins underneath the gum margin below the necks of the teeth and. as no brush in generalzuse is effective in preventing suchizondition, it is therefore eminently desirable to rovide a brush adapted to prevent suchlo gment of foreign substances within the free margin of'the gums, and to this end I have de vised a brush having. the peculiarities of form andjconstruction hereinafter describedbrush head. Fig. 4 is an end view showing the brush head applied to large teeth or molars.- Fig. 5 is a similar view of the brush head applied-to small teeth or incisors.

The head a; of the brush' is practically right angular in form and the handle isattached to the head 0110116 side of the same and at the apex of the an 1e. The ends of the brush head are 'tapere or pointed at an acute an 1e, asshown'best in Fig. 2, fora purpose ereinafterstated.

, The brush head a is provided interiorly I with groups or sets of bristles and 0 which project inwardly and downwardly at a slight angle to each other and also at an angle to the adjacent sides of the brush head. The free ends of such .bristles are cutoifon a curving slope,'thus forming between them a space 0?, as shown in Fig. 3, which is narrowed from the base upward, and owing to the curvature of the surfaces forming the space, such surfaces are adapted to work upon allteeth of various forms and sizes. as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The shape of this space is such that when applied to the thin front teeth, the brush passes down over the ED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

teeth in such way asto engage the thinnest teeth in the narrow part of the space, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the larger te'ethbe- I ing engaged by the larger portion of the space, as shown in Fig. 4. This space extends up tothe centerof the brush body at d, so that when the brush is applied to front teeth that are unusually long, the teeth may pass well up into this space, allowing the extreme tufts c' to come in contact-with the gums as in acase of normally .glghaped teeth.

' When the brush is in position on the front teeth the tuftsjof bristles adjacent to the cen tral' space a? come in contact with the lateral surfaces, asiseen in Figs. 1 and 5,:but in passing back over the large double teeth, these same'bristles work on the depressions 1n the biting surfaces of the teeth, as seen in Fig 4. The outer tufts 0" of the two. groups or sets have their free ends or work ing-surfacescut off horizontall or practi cally at a right angle to the simi ar adjacent surfaces of the groups a, c,'which form an arrangement adaptthe bristles c to work on or massage the gums in the manner indicated in Figs. 1, 4:, and. 5... Thus, the tufts 0 whichare-nearest the outer ones 0' work under the free margins of the gums femoving all deposits of foreign substances. The tapered or pointed ends of'the' brush head, beforereferred to, are practically ,of much importance since they enable the brush head to be conveniently turned or manipulated in such manner thatthe bristles act most effectively on all eXpOsedsnrfaceS of the incisors, as shown in Fig. 1, which oper ation would be'diflicult to accomplish without bruisin'g'the soft tissues if t e ends of the brush head were broadened.

- What Iclaim is':

-1. The improved brush head having its sides arranged substantially at a right angle to each other and tapered to a point at their extremities and provided interiorly with bristles which extend to the extremities of the sides and project inwardly and down- Wardly, as -described.

2. The improved tooth-brush head having substantially the form of a right angle and tapered toward its extremities and provided '10 interiorly with two groups or sets of bris- CHARLES EDWARD CARROLL.

Witnesses:

SoLoN C. KEMON, PERRY B. TU'RPIN. 

